Endless flexible belt type ice cube maker



y 6 B. H. MCKISSICK 3,253,425

ENDLESS FLEXIBLE BELT TYPE ICE CUBE MAKER Filed May 28, 1964 FIG. I.

INVENTOR. BURLE/GH H.McKISS/CK ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,253,425 ENDLESS FLEXIBLE BELT TYPE ICE CUBE MAKER Burleigh H. McKissick, 912 W. 1st St, Apt. 2, Fort Worth, Tex. Filed May 28, 1964, Ser. No. 371,033 3 Claims. (Cl. 62-345) This invention relates to an ice cube making machine which. is fully automatic in its operation and is designed to produce ice cubes continuously and in large quantities, as desired, and which machine has means for harvesting the ice cubes as they are formed.

An object of the invention is to provide an ice cube making machine as described which is peculiarly adapted for making ice cubes of good quality, clear, solid, and free of air bubbles, and in which the harvesting of the ice cubes is accomplished without excessive melting of the ice, and the ice cubes so produced are reasonably dry and do not have excessive amounts of unfrozen Water on their surfaces, so that they are less likely to freeze 'to each other after harvesting.

Another object of the invention is to provide an ice cube making machine as described which is characterized by its simplicity, and which requires few controls while at the same time being eflicient in its operation and may be operated continuously for long periods of time without interruption for cleaning, deicing, or repairs.

These and other objects will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic top plan view of an ice cube making machine embodying the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a schematic side elevational view.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional e-levational view taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view on an enlarged scale showing details of construction.

The exemplary form of the invention shown in the drawings includes an endless belt which advantageously may be formed of ferrous sheet metal such as stainless steel or other flexible sheet material which is characterized by its thermal conductivity and is magnetic, or alternatively, has magnetic materials incorporated therein.

The endless belt 10 is arranged substantially horizontally between a pair of rollers 11, 12 as hereinafter described and has a grid 13 which is coextensive therewith and attached to its outer surface. The grid 13, which with the belt 10" forms pockets 14 each adapted to contain an ice cube, may be formed of molted resilient material such as rubber which is characterized by its elasticity as well as its thermal conductivity.

The roller 11 is driven by an electric mot-or '15 through connecting shafts 16, 17 and speed reducing gears '18 whereby the endless belt 10 travels from left to right as seen from the top thereof, as in FIGURE 1, and the under side of the endless belt 10 moves from right to left as shown in FIGURE 2.

A refrigerating unit 19, which is generally planar and rectangular and has length and width dimensions corresponding substantially to those of a portion of 'the endless belt 10 extending between the under sides of the rollers 11, 12, is arranged between the top and bottom sides of the endless belt 10, immediately adjacent the bottom side thereof, as shown best in FIGURE 2.

The refrigerating unit 19 includes an insulated housing 20 having a refrigerated chamber 2 1 in its under side which is closed by a bottom plate 22.- The'bottom plate 22, which is slidably engaged by the inner surface of the endless belt 10, may be formed of metal such as brass or bronze which is characterized by its thermal Patented May 31, 1966 "ice conductivity and also by the fact that it produces little friction upon sliding engagement with ferrous metals.

A refrigerationg coil 23, which is arranged within the refrigerated chamber 21, has an inlet 24 and an outlet 25 for supplying a refrigerant thereto and discharging the refrigerant therefrom. The space within the refrigerated chamber 21 surrounding the refrigerating coil 23 may be filled with a non-freezing liquid characterizedby its thermal conductivity whereby the bottom plate 22 and the endless belt 10, which is in sliding engagement therewith, are effectively cooled by the refrigerant passing through the refrigerating coil 23.

A pair of magnetized bars 26, which are arranged along the longitudinal edges of the refrigerated chamber 21, extend downwardly on opposite sides of the bottom plate 22 for sliding engagement with the endless belt 10 whereby the endless belt 10 is positively secured in sliding engagement with the bottom plate 22 and an effective seal is provided between the longitudinal edges of the endless belt 10 and the under side of the refrigerating unit 19 to prevent the accumulation of ice between the opposing surfaces of the endless belt 10 and the bottom plate 22.

A spray pipe 27, which is arranged horizontally transversely of and below the endles belt 10, has spray holes in its top side and is connected by a crank lever 28 and a link 29 to a crank 30 on an extension of the shaft 17 whereby the spray pipe 27 is oscillated to thereby spray water across the under side of the grid 13 repeatedly, in

the form of a finely divided spray moving at relatively low velocity, as the endless belt 10 is advanced relative to the spray pipe 27, to thereby fill the pockets 14 of the gird 13 with ice of progressively increasing thickness as successive increments of water are received therein and frozen.

Water is supplied to the end of the spray pipe 27 opposite the crank lever 28, through a flexible fluid conduit 31, from a centrifugal pump 32 which is driven by the motor 15 through an extension of the shaft 16. Unused water is drained from the under side of the endless belt 10 to a sump tank 33, from which it is drawn by the pump 32 through a fl-uid conduit 34.

The under side of the roller 12, which is an idler roller, is positioned at a slightly higher elevation than the under side of the refrigerating unit 19, so that the under side of the endless belt 10 is flexed sharply upwardly and forwardly relative to its direction of movement, as at 35, as it is disengaged from the under side of the refrigerating unit 19, and the grid 13 is similarly flexed, whereby the endless belt 10 and the grid 13, which together form the pockets 14, are at least partially disengaged from the ice cubes contained in the pockets 14.

The endless belt 10 and the grid 13 are further flexed, as shown best in FIGURE 4, whereby they are more completely disengaged from the ice cubes in the pockets 14, and the ice cubes are discharged from the pockets 14, which are in their inverted positions, as the endless belt 10 and the grid 13 are passed upwardly over the idler roller 12, which is heated internally as hereinafter described.

The idler roller 12 is hollow, and as shown turns about an inner cylinder 36 which is stationary and has an inlet 37 and an outlet 38 whereby a heating fluid is supplied to the interior thereof and discharged therefrom. In a modified arrangement the inner cylinder may be omitted and the heating fluid may be supplied directly to the interior of the roller 12 and discharged therefrom as the roller 12 is rotated about its axis.

A discharge chute 39 is positioned to receive the ice cubes as they are disengaged from the pockets 14, which are in their inverted positions during the entire time that ice is being formed therein and as the endless belt 10 and the grid 13 are disengaged from the under side of the 3 refrigerating unit 19, as at 35, and passed upwardly over the idler roller 12.

The invention is not limited to the exemplary construction herein shown and described, but may be made in various ways within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an ice cube making machine, the combination of an endless belt arranged substantially horizontally around a pair of spaced rollers, means driving said belt around said rollers, said belt being formed of flexible sheet material having high thermal conductivity, and a grid sub stantially coextensive therewith attached to the outer surface of said belt, said grid being formed of molded resilient material, a refrigerating unit generally planar and having length and width dimensions corresponding to a portion of the under side of said belt extending between the under sides of said rollers and having an exposed planar surf-ace facing downwardly and positioned immediately above the under side of said belt in sliding engagement therewith, and an oscillating spray pipe having spray holes in one side thereof and extending horizontally below said belt with said spray holes directed upwardly, and having means for supplying said spray pipe with water and means rocking the same about its axis, a roller of said pair of rollers having means for heating the same internally whereby ice cubes forming in said belt are disengaged therefrom as said belt and said grid are passed upwardly over the last said roller.

2. The structure of claim 1, said belt being formed of magnetic sheet metal, and a pair of magnets positioned adjacent the longitudinal edges of said belt and carried by said planar surface of said refrigerating unit.

3. The structure of claim 1, said last said roller being positioned at a slightly higher elevation than the under side of said refrigerating unit so that said belt and said grid are flexed upwardly and outwardly relative to their direction of movement as they are disengaged from said planar surface.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,026,214 12/1935 Chilton 62344 X 2,054,074 9/1936 Field 62351 X 2,419,953 5/1947 Knowles 62345 2,718,124 9/1955 Gilliam 62--345 X 3,040,545 6/ 1962 Bollefer 62-347 ROBERT A. OLEARY, Primary Examiner.

WILLIAM F. ODEA, Examiner.

' W. E. WAYNER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN AN ICE CUBE MAKING MACHINE, THE COMBINATION OF AN ENDLESS BELT ARRANGED SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY AROUND A PAIR OF SPACED ROLLERS, MEANS DRIVING SAID BELT AROUND SAID ROLLERS, SAID BELT BEING FORMED OF FLEXIBLE SHEET MATERIAL HAVING HIGH THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY, AND A GRID SUBSTANTIALLY COEXTENSIVE THEREWITH ATTACHED TO THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID BELT, SAID GRID BEING FORMED OF MOLDED RESILIENT MATERIAL, A REFRIGERATING UNIT GENERALLY PLANAR AND HAVING LENGTH AND WIDTH DIMENSIONS CORRESPONDING TO A PORTION OF THE UNDER SIDE OF SAID BELT EXTENDING BETWEEN THE UNDER SIDES OF SAID ROLLERS AND HAVING AN EXPOSED PLANAR SURFACE FACING DOWNWARDLY AND POSITIONED IMMEDIATELY ABOVE THE UNDER SIDE OF SAID BELT IN SLIDING ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH, AND AND OSCILLATING SPRAY PIPE HAVING SPRAY HOLES IN ONE SIDE THEREOF AND EXTENDING HORIZONTALLY BELOW SAID BELT WITH SAID SPRAY HOLES DIRECTED UPWARDLY, AND HAVING MEANS FOR SUPPLYING SAID SPRAY PIPE WITH WATER AND MEANS ROCKING THE SAME ABOUT ITS AXIS, A ROLLER OF SAID PAIR OF ROLLERS HAVING MEANS FOR HEATING THE SAME INTERNALLY WHEREBY ICE CUBES FORMING IN SAID BELT ARE DISENGAGED THEREFROM AS SAID BELT AND SAID GRID ARE PASSED UPWARDLY OVER THE LAST SAID ROLLER. 